The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-06-24

er taking refreshmeat, watched at our
ease from afar the hustle of changing
| horses and men and escorting travel
ers and luggage from one conveyance
| to the other. At nightfall we watched
Marina, where we were provided with
supper and g room decorated with
pictures of saints in smiling torture.
The next morning, as we had some
hours to spare before resuming our
| Journey, Margaret astonished me by
sending for her violin.
"You don't mean to say you have
brought the fiddle on this expedition
of all others!" | exclaimed, blankly.
"Of course / brought it. 1t would
not have been safe otherwise, and /
was not sure we should return by this
route. bade the waiter put it in the
diligence without your knowledge, as
l sometimes fancied it annoyed YOU"
every WELL" returned, resignedly.
II will go out for a walk while you
practice" And suited the action to
the word without further delay.
My thoughts were cheerful compan-
! ions. The next afternoon would find
us in Venice; the day following would
be a red-letter one for all the year; the
birthday fete, the wonders of the ma
rine city, meeting again Herbert
Stacy. All was like adelicious dream,
! short and sweet as dreams are, but
amply worth any fatigue and discom-
| fort which the journey might cause.
When returned from my walk /
found Margaret in floods oftears, pac-
! ina the room distractedly and wiring
ing her hands in undisguised distress.
When she could control her voice she
| told me q woeful tale.
When I went out she had sent for
the violin. After some meunaccountabe
delay, a man appeared, bringing a
strangely unlike-the fiddle case. "a
creepy feeling ran down !ny back as |
looked at it, she said; II sent the
man to look again, but he declared
there was no other black box among
the luggage, except q hat case. He
grew quite violent about it, and Isup-
pose he was excited, too, for the truth
was beginning to dawn upon me. Final
ly he ran away and got q sCrewdriver,
opened the box, and started back
! with an exclamation which confirmed
my worst fears. 1t contained that
poor little baby, looking as beGItiful
and peaceful as anything you can
| imagine"
How dreadful! But you must
have recovered from the shock now,
Margaret, dear?"
"Shock? You don't seem to realize
that they have buried my violin"
dropped Imply into chair.
There is not moment to lose,"
Margaret continued. 81 must take
the first conveyance back to Pieve. 1t
breaks my heart to have you go on
alone TO Venice, and l shall feel un-
easy about you every moment. But
what can / do? Oh! dear; was ever
anything so distressing"
Couldn't we leave the fiddle till
after our trip7"
How can you make such wild
suggestion, Kate? 1t would be ruined
by lying SO long in the damp earth.
Prompt action may possibly save it
from being bu4ed at ali. No, / must
go at once to the rescue.
saw that remonstrance wcald be
perfectly useless; Margaret would be
| frantic restrained. She could not
go back to Pieve alone, because to ey-
plain her mission there, Italian would
be necessary, and Margaret had not
learned the language which spoke
well. She had befriended me to her
own inconvenience in q Thousand in
stances. already, and it was plainly
my duty to stand by her now. She
did not know how great the sacrifice
would be for me, for / had not told
her OF my hope OF meeting Herbert
Stacy.
After a brief. bitter conflict with
myself ! said: ~ will 60 back to Pieve
With you" And as uttered these
words felt mentally all the torture
which the wriggling saints on the wall
expressed in their bodies.
"But, dear child, you will miss the
fete; there is not time for both"
Never mind that. / didn't feel
much interest ia it, anyway. Is was
the--the scenery liked, and we have
had the best of it already" | was
determined to play my part of mar
tyr gracefully, even at the expense OF
| truth.
How good of you, Kate! hated
more than words can express to 90
alone among all those queer people.
! couldn't explain my mission, and
they would probably think me
murderess. Never mind / will take
you TO Venice next year, if have to i
90 in rags to accomplish it.
"Aiasl next year there will be no
Herbert, thought, regretfully.
An ill-assorted pair of steeds st
tached to an antiquated vehicle took
us and the poor baby back TO Pieve
at an irritating jog-trot. / didn't
care whether Titan was born